Networking opens up so many doors for you and allows us great experiences to be shared and practiced.

Sure socializing with your friends and family is important, but communication with them is not the same when you are wanting to further yourself in the business world.

Opportunities to network on are online with communities like LinkedIn and meetings and conferences. I just recently came back from a leadership conference for my fraternity and came to notice how much potential there is to network with people.

Not only did I gain many new ideas and thoughts, but I was able to build good enough relationships that I will cherish later in my life. To get the ball rolling here are 42 effective ways to network with people from seven different sources.

9 Ways to Network Easily

1. Join groups of interest to you
2. Volunteer to speak at events
3. Write an article by starting a blog
4. Have an address book with notes or comments about each person
5. Keep in touch with people
6. Become an expert in a certain field
7. Be generous and offer a ‘gift’
8. Follow-through on any promise or action you made
9. Work the room

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8 Ways to Network Effectively Online

1. Write in a conversational tone
2. Fill out your online profiles fully so that the people know something about you
3. Give, give, give
4. Listen
5. Show your face
6. Be consistent
7. Meet your online connections in real world, whenever possible
8. Connect with your offline connection in your online networks

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3 New Ways to Network and Find People Online

1. Find people based on your similar interest with PeopleJar
2. Searching and finding people all across social communities with Wink.com
3. Find people in certain businesses with ZoomInfo.com

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10 Ways to Network Properly

1. Know your purpose for networking
2. Do your homework
3. Don’t act desperate
4. Listen
5. Respect your contact’s time
6. Ask for help in small doses
7. Get permission
8. Be careful with your use of the word networking
9. Don’t be pushy and aggressive
10. Remember that networking is a two-way street

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7 Ways to Network and Be Social at Conferences

1. Get there early
2. Sit with people you don’t know
3. Be the prepared man or woman
4. Attend evening events
5. Be generous, if you can afford it
6. Have a unique business card
7. Don’t try too hard

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5 Ways to Network Effectively at a Meeting

1. Make friends with the people sitting near you
2. Arrive early
3. Ask someone you know to introduce you to someone new they are speaking with
4. Use down time effectively
5. Give people a reason to be in contact with you

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Certainly there are some repeating ways of effective networking, but know that depending on the environment and what prospects are present is will all vary on a different level.

These ways will effectively get and keep you within a healthy conversation that will end up in a great connection to use later down the road.

The LifeNotion: Networking is a crucial factor in pushing and taking you further down the path you want to take, but make sure you are doing it in the right manner along the way.

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Community Discussion

What other ways during your experience in networking have you thought to be effective for yourself?

Within this list of 42, what ways stand out to you? Which ones do you need to improve on?

Derek Jensen

Derek is the founder of LifeNotion and a student that's defining his true self through connections, conversations, and media. He strives to improve the college experience amongst students to take their life to the fullest. Talk and connect with him on Facebook and Twitter. Derek Jensen has wrote 83 post(s) for LifeNotion.